Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pontevedra and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Pontevedra: $1,473 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Pontevedra
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Pontevedra Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Pontevedra

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,473

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pontevedra and in Madrid

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pontevedra and in Madrid actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,473 in Pontevedra versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Pontevedra $1,473
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,271 in Pontevedra versus $3,311 in Madrid.

Pontevedra $2,271
Madrid $3,311

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,069 in Pontevedra versus $4,356 in Madrid.

Pontevedra $3,069
Madrid $4,356

Living in Pontevedra costs roughly 35% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pontevedra 9% above, Madrid 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.07 €13.41

$18.06 €16.06

-16.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 €49.36

$66.5 €59.2

-16.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 €9.13

$11.40 €10.14

-10.00%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.87

$3.03 €2.69

-30.69%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.25 €2.89

-21.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.32 €2.07

-24.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 €3.04

$3.85 €3.42

-11.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$4.82 €4.29

-16.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 €0.76

$1.32 €1.18

-34.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.61 €1.43

-18.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.75 €1.56

-0.57%

Eggs

$3.10 €2.75

$4.06 €3.61

-23.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.13 €10.79

$16.34 €14.54

-25.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.61 €6.77

$9.61 €8.55

-20.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 €14.49

$17.43 €15.50

-6.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.63 €2.34

-14.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.40

$2.18 €1.93

-27.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.50 €2.22

-27.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.60 €2.32

-3.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 €1.23

$2.25 €2.01

-38.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.08 €1.85

-25.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.56 €1.39

-27.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$1.08 €0.96

-39.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.49 €5.77

$6.70 €5.96

-3.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.60 €4.98

$7.82 €6.95

-28.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.22 €1.08

12.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.25 €2.00

-12.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.63 €1.45

0.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 €25.38

$37.72 €33.56

-24.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 €4.18

$3.81 €3.39

23.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.49 €1.33

-25.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.37 €19.90

$29.99 €26.68

-25.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.79 €1.59

-8.94%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.0K €31.2K

$33.7K €29.9K

4.10%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.3K €26.9K

$33.3K €29.6K

-8.98%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$166 €148

$190 €169

-12.84%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.01 €14.24

$17.57 €15.63

-8.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.02 €30.26

$35.34 €31.43

-3.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 €60.0

$49.52 €44.04

36.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.08 €21.42

$18.20 €16.19

32.31%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 €8.14

$11.09 €9.87

-17.49%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$515 €458

$684 €609

-24.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,171 €7,269

$18.2K €16.2K

-55.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 €75.4

$87.8 €78.1

-3.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.10 €36.56

$42.06 €37.41

-2.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.2

$111 €98.3

-19.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$113 €100

17.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 €547

$1,509 €1,342

-59.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 €449

$1,162 €1,034

-56.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 €1,006

$2,804 €2,494

-59.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 €797

$1,867 €1,661

-52.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 €2,441

$9,017 €8,021

-69.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,501 €2,225

$4,294 €3,819

-41.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,540 €1,370

$2,495 €2,219

-38.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

3.14

14.01%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Pontevedra: October 18, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Pontevedra

$505 34.3%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3% 130% $658

Groceries & Markets

Pontevedra

$246 16.7%

Madrid

$308 13.6% 24.8% $61

Eating Out

Pontevedra

$219 14.9%

Madrid

$266 11.8% 21.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pontevedra

$216 14.7%

Madrid

$243 10.7% 12.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Pontevedra

$156 10.6%

Madrid

$159 7% 1.6% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Pontevedra

$86 5.8%

Madrid

$72 3.2% 16.4% $14

Getting Around

Pontevedra

$45 3.1%

Madrid

$56 2.5% 22.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $614 in Pontevedra and $1,509 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 62% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Pontevedra vs $66.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $246 vs $308 per month, with Pontevedra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Pontevedra

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

Same time as Pontevedra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,535

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Pontevedra vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pontevedra wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pontevedra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Madrid. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $614 in Pontevedra versus $1,509 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Pontevedra – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,473 in Pontevedra versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pontevedra but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Pontevedra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pontevedra delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,473 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pontevedra hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Pontevedra and Madrid are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pontevedra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.